Out of the Blue
by Purple
Summary: [Boys Be...] In an unexpected meeting at the park, Kenjo and Aki get to know each other a little better...


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Rating: G  
Spoilers: Ep. 6 and basically lil' random stuff from the series plucked here and there.   
Warnings: Nothing, really. But if you're a big Kenjo/Natsue fan then you might hate me for this. v^_^;  
Disclaimer: Boys Be... is owned by Itabashi Masahiro-san and company. In short, *not mine*  
Completed: May 24, 2002  
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O u t o f t h e B l u e  
by Purple  
  
  
Late spring -- when the nights were still cool and flowers still in bloom, but the cherry blossoms have long left the cherry blossom trees. Gone were these flowers of delicate beauty that never fail to capture her attention, leaving her alone with her thoughts. Alone as she walked under the red night sky. She had no reason to be lonely tonight, but somehow she couldn't help but feel it.   
  
Aki remembered Chiharu asking her one time why she loved going to karaoke bars so much. And she told her it was because she loved to sing. And although this was partially true, the real reason would probably be that being with friends kept her from thinking too much -- which she tend to do when she's by herself.   
  
Aki didn't mind being alone; she was just as comfortable being with her self as being with her friends, but sometimes it could get lonely. Too lonely.  
  
Walking through the park on her way home that night, Aki quietly hummed a bittersweet tune to herself, trying to clear her head of thoughts. Passing by the playground, she noticed a young man sitting alone at the swings. He looked so sad, the girl thought as she studied him, with his head hanging low as he sat there, elbows against his knees, and hands clasped together between his legs.  
  
He was lonely, too. Just like her. And just like her, Aki thought, maybe he also needed someone to talk to. Or maybe, someone to just be with and keep him from thinking too much.  
  
Taking a deep breath, Aki acquiesced to the idea of walking up to him...  
  
"Excuse me," Aki said as she approached the boy. He looked up, and Aki's eyes widened. "Kenjo?!" she blurted out.  
  
The aforementioned one looked surprised too. "A-Aki."   
  
"What are you doing here?" they asked at the same time, and both answered, "I just came from-- "  
  
The two had to chuckle.   
  
"Gomen," Kenjo motioned to the girl. "You first."  
  
"I just came from the karaoke bar with Chiharu and Yumi," Aki explained. "I usually walk through here on my way home. You?"  
  
"I...I just came from Horikawa's place," Kenjo answered to the ground, looking sad again.  
  
"Horikawa..." Aki repeated, trying to recall the face that went with the name as she occupied the swing next to Kenjo's. "Oh! Horikawa Natsue -- that girl from your baseball team Yumi and I saw you with," she said to him afterwards.  
  
Kenjo nodded silently.  
  
"She's your girlfriend now, right?" Aki pried with a teasing smile.  
  
"Actually," Kenjo swallowed, "we've just broken up."  
  
Brown eyes widened. "What? Why?"  
  
"Um...well..."  
  
"I'm sorry," Aki cut in. "You don't have to answer. It's really none of my business," she said.  
  
"It's okay," Kenjo told her, the look on his face heartbreaking. "I don't think I have the answer anyway."  
  
Worried that she was just making Kenjo feel worse, Aki knew she had to change the topic. Looking around, she noticed the deep red canvas of stars above them:  
  
"It looks like rain," Aki noted, and Kenjo tilted his head up. She knew that the weather wasn't exactly the most interesting of topics, but rainy days always had a special place in her heart. "Hydrangeas look beautiful in the rain," she remarked, a small smile tracing her lips as she gazed at the sky.  
  
Kenjo glanced at her sideways and saw her pensive expression, studying her for a moment before lowering his eyes to his hands. "Aki..." he called quietly.  
  
"Hm?" the girl answered, turning to look at him.  
  
"Can I ask you something?"  
  
"Sure," replied Aki. "What is it?"  
  
Teal-colored eyes cast her a quick look, as if hesitating. "Have you ever been" -- he paused -- "passionate about anything?"  
  
Aki tipped her head to the side. "Have I ever been passionate about anything...?" she asked herself thoughtfully, then nodded, "Yes, I think I have."  
  
"That's good," Kenjo remarked softly, then confessed, "I don't think I've ever been passionate about anything in my entire life."  
  
"W-what do you mean?" Aki blinked. "What about baseball?"  
  
With a heavy sigh, Kenjo got up from the swing. "I enjoy baseball," he replied afterwards, absently kicking a stone by his feet, "as much as I enjoy playing the guitar and listening to Japanese ballads. But, unlike most of the guys in my team," he pointed out, "my life doesn't exactly revolve around the sport;" -- he then turned to face Aki -- "I don't eat, drink and sleep baseball."  
  
"And Natsue-chan?" Aki asked, the question catching Kenjo off guard.  
  
"I..." Kenjo shifted his gaze, "I don't eat, drink and sleep her, too," he replied with a heavy heart. Bringing a hand up to his face, the boy then winced at the thought. "Am I such a bad person because of this?"   
  
"No, of course not," Aki countered softly, feeling sorry for Kenjo as she walked up to him.   
  
"I always told her that I love her," Kenjo said, "but I guess that wasn't enough, huh?"  
  
"I'm afraid not," Aki told him regretfully. "Relationships need work too."  
  
"So unlike baseball," Kenjo shook his head.  
  
And a sympathetic smile found its way to Aki's face:   
  
"Well, in your case...yes."  
  
* * * * * *  
  
"Uh, here," Kenjo said, offering his blue jacket to Aki who was absently rubbing a hand against her bare arm.   
  
It was only when the two were walking home from the park that night that Kenjo noticed the outfit the girl had on -- a tight red halter-top that revealed her lean stomach, a black leather miniskirt, and a pair of sand-colored boots -- he thought she might be cold.   
  
"I think it's a little big," Aki said with a grin once she had put on the jacket, raising her arms up and down to her sides.   
  
Looking at Aki, Kenjo couldn't help but smile at the sleeves that extended all the way to her palms. It made him recall how the same blue jacket was also too big for Natsue. And how the young girl would coyly tell him that she wanted to wear it anyway because it still had his warmth and scent...He would surely miss that.  
  
For a moment, Kenjo seemed to have spaced out, utterly quiet as they walked down the street until Aki's voice called him back. "Are you okay?" she asked.   
  
"Um, yeah," Kenjo nodded, shoving his hands deeper into his pants pockets. "I was just. . .thinking,"   
  
"Thinking about Natsue-chan?" Aki said softly, empathetic.   
  
Kenjo closed his eyes, and raked a hand through his dark hair, letting it rest on his nape. "Is that why she broke up with me?" he asked. "Because I'm not passionate enough about our relationship?"  
  
Brown eyes softened at the boy's questions. "You don't have to be really passionate, Kenjo," Aki told him. "You just have to learn to appreciate what you have."  
  
Kenjo let out a heavy sigh. "I thought I could do this, you know?" he said to Aki. "I thought it would be one of those things that wouldn't need too much effort from me for me to be good at it. I thought it would be-- "  
  
"Easy?" Aki finished. "Believe me, it's not. I've been in a lot of relationships, and I still suck at it."  
  
"I bet you left them 'cause they're just like me now, huh?" Kenjo mocked himself.  
  
"No, actually," Aki looked down, "_they_ left _me_."  
  
"..."  
  
"I guess some people can only take so much affection," the girl said wryly.  
  
"I-I'm sorry, I didn't-- "  
  
"Hey, it's okay," Aki assured him, placing a hand against his arm. "I'm over them-- well, most of them," she corrected. "And right now I'm just learning to love myself more."  
  
Giving himself a mental kick on the head, Kenjo frantically racked his brain for some comforting words to say to Aki. He was in mid-thought when the said girl suddenly started giggling. "What's so funny?" he asked dumbly.  
  
"You listen to Japanese ballads?" Aki said in between giggles.  
  
"What's wrong with that?" Kenjo asked back.  
  
"Nothing," Aki answered, waving her hands at him, still giggling. "It's just that I think you're the only teenager I know who listens to such music."  
  
"Well, like my grandfather said," Kenjo raised an index finger, "You can never go wrong with Japanese ballads."  
  
And the two laughed together.  
  
  
  
  
"So, I guess this is it," Aki said, turning to Kenjo upon reaching the street corner where their ways separate. She then removed the jacket she was wearing and politely returned it to the owner. "Thanks for the jacket," she smiled.  
  
"Baka."  
  
"Excuse me?" Aki blinked, taken aback.  
  
"Those guys," Kenjo explained, his tone serious. "They're all stupid for leaving you," he told her. And at that moment -- teal on brown, brown on teal -- Kenjo's gaze was steady and sincere as it held her. "You're a great girl, Aki. You're sweet and smart. And you're caring enough to always be there for your friends. Any guy who can't see all these good things about you is just plain stupid."  
  
Aki was speechless, not knowing how to react to what the boy had just said. "Kenjo, I-- " Aki stopped abruptly as she felt droplets of water fall on her face.  
  
The two looked up to the sky.   
  
It had started to rain.  
  
Kenjo quickly placed his jacket overhead, spreading it like a cover. "Come on!" he called, wrapping his free arm around Aki's shoulder to bring her in. And the girl acquiesced.   
  
Huddled under one jacket as the two ran down the street, laughter could be heard as they made their way through the rain.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
In front of Aki's house, Kenjo and Aki immediately surveyed their clothes upon reaching the shelter of the porch. Soaked to the bone, Kenjo's jacket obviously did poorly in shielding them from the rain, but neither of them seemed to really mind.   
  
"Ne, Kenjo, I think you should buy a bigger jacket," Aki kidded as she inspected her rain-drenched karaoke-night outfit.  
  
"I think so, too," Kenjo agreed, running his hand back and forth against his wet spiky hair. "One with a built-in umbrella," he joked, and Aki laughed. He then clutched a fistful of his orange tee shirt and proceeded to twist the water out of it.  
  
"Look at you," Aki motioned to Kenjo's clothes. "Come inside and I'll get you some dry clothes," she offered.  
  
"No, it's okay," Kenjo replied with an embarrassed smile.  
  
"You can't go home like that," Aki countered.   
  
"Don't worry, I'm used to being wet like this," assured the baseball player.  
  
But Aki insisted, turning her back to Kenjo to open the front door. "But you might catch a cold or-- "  
  
Instinctively, Kenjo reached for Aki's hand to stop her...And he did. With his big hand wrapped around her slender one, Kenjo's eyes widened when he realized what he had just done. He felt Aki froze.  
  
"I-It's okay," Kenjo stammered, breaking the contact, "really."  
  
Aki turned around to face him. "Are you sure?" she asked, her brown eyes silently gazing up at him.  
  
Kenjo nodded, his eyes everywhere but on Aki, hoping that the porch lights weren't bright enough for her to see him blushing.   
  
"Well, I guess I should..." Aki lightly jerked her thumb over her shoulder to the door.  
  
"Y-Yeah, sure," Kenjo replied, a hand on his nape. "I should get going too."  
  
"Thanks for taking me home, by the way." Aki said.  
  
"No problem," Kenjo smiled shyly then waved goodbye.  
  
Watching Kenjo make his way down the porch steps, Aki fought with herself, not sure if she should call him back, knowing that she needed to thank the boy for one more thing. Chewing on her lower lip, she decided to stop hesitating.  
  
"Um, Kenjo..."  
  
And the boy turned around. "Yes?"   
  
"Thank you."   
  
Kenjo nodded. "I'm sorry you got wet though," he apologized.  
  
Aki smiled. "No, I mean for what you told me back there," she corrected nicely, going down the steps to the wet pathway, stopping at the bottom. "I really appreciate it."  
  
"Well, they're all true," Kenjo told her.  
  
"Good," Aki nodded. "'Cause I know karate. And I could hurt you, Yoshihiko-kun," she kidded, wagging an index finger at him.  
  
And the baseball player laughed.  
  
"You know," Kenjo walked over to Aki, "I usually have no problems being alone, but tonight I'm really glad you joined me," he stated sincerely. "It was getting kinda lonely."  
  
"I'm glad, too," Aki smiled. "And I really hope you and Natsue-chan iron things out."  
  
"Thanks-- " Kenjo's words were abruptly cut off when Aki suddenly moved towards him and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, her hands on his shoulders to support herself as she stood on tiptoe. The boy froze with his eyes wide from surprise.  
  
Stepping away, Aki immediately ran back to the porch. "Oyasumi!" she waved cheerily, leaving Kenjo dumbfounded.   
  
And for a good while Kenjo remained rooted to his place, not yet completely out of the initial shock, his hand finding its way to the cheek Aki had kissed. It felt tingly, he thought amid all the other hazy thoughts swirling inside his head.   
  
Distracted by the lights that went on in Aki's room, Kenjo looked up. And from behind the curtains he could make out the silhouette of his friend -- his friend whom he just spent a nice time with...his friend who took him by surprise...his friend who would probably be in his mind for a while...his friend whom he can't wait to see again.   
  
Kenjo's eyes softened as his lips drew back to a thoughtful smile...  
  
"Oyasumi."  
  
  
~Owari~  
  
  
  
  
Thanx for reading! ^_^ Let me know what you think, onegai? 


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